WLS-FM and WFMT (FM) in Chicago have been off the air for several hours. Both have transmitters at Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. This is especially curious because, according to fcc.gov, WLS-FM has a standby transmitter at the 875 N Michigan building (formerly the Handcock Building). Stations at sites like this use transmitter combiners to share antennas, so a single failure can affect more than one station. Anyone know what is happening?
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WLS-FM and WFMT are off the air
- Thread starter Ken Gustafson
- Start date
From the "I take pictures of transmitter sites" group on facbeook
WLS FM on facebook
"Willis Tower -- where our transmitter is located -- has experienced flooding which caused a power outage, in case you're wondering why you can't hear us on the radio.
But thankfully you can still listen to us on your computer, phone or smart speaker."That's what you get for building Chicago in a swamp. Can't even blame the governor or mayor for that!
Much of Chicago is barely above lake level, and the lake level is up, and then it rains. In dry weather, nobody knows whether the pumps are working. Keeping Chicago above water depends on pumps and retaining walls. Retaining walls, not vaults for Al Capone to hide valuables. That's my interpretation for what it's worth.
Much of Chicago is barely above lake level, and the lake level is up, and then it rains. In dry weather, nobody knows whether the pumps are working. Keeping Chicago above water depends on pumps and retaining walls. Retaining walls, not vaults for Al Capone to hide valuables. That's my interpretation for what it's worth.
OK, but what about WLS-FM with a standby TX at 875?
It's not and id wager, obviously cant be used.. do you think theyd let a chicago station with a backup sit off the air for shits and giggles? Id wager they somehow cant get audio to the backup or have NO audio to get to the backup!
They should all have a broadband multiplex auxiliary antenna out on or near the old WXRT tower. You'd be surprised what you could serve with even a few hundred watts ERP. I've heard stations using their exciter passed through to the antenna, and there was no problem getting it 15 miles or so. Turn off the Stereo. Listeners might have to adjust their telescoping antennas or dipoles. You'd think you could run it off a computer based studio and battery backup for the exciter.
The old XRT site on Belmont is the backup backup for all 7 Entercom signals. As I understand it all the Entercom FMs are currently on their backups at the (formerly) Hancock building. I'm sure if Cumulus or iHeart wanted to pay rent to add facilities to the Belmont site Entercom would be happy to cash those checks but I don't see that happeneing anytime soon.
94.7 is now back on (hearing Pat Benetar loud and clear) but is interestingly spilling over to 94.5 and particularly 94.9 a LOT. I mistakenly hit 94.9 at first and it Pat sounded pretty good for being one channel off. Co-owned 101.1's main facilities are on Hancock so I would think switching WLS to this backup would have been very simple.
Alot of "make goods" coming on the morning show commercials.
Were any of the television broadcasters who broadcast from the Willis Tower affected?
94.7’s standby on the Hancock is brand new. The CP for it was just granted last year. Might be why it took so long to get on the air today.
The Sears Tower stations go off (Or did) routinely once a week. Not sure if they still do. Usually it was Thursdays between Midnight and 5AM they would all switch to their Aux facilities. Switching over to them is usually a smooth process when planned.
WFMT has backup licences, but they happen to be on Sears Tower...
No idea about the TV stations.
The Sears Tower stations go off (Or did) routinely once a week. Not sure if they still do. Usually it was Thursdays between Midnight and 5AM they would all switch to their Aux facilities. Switching over to them is usually a smooth process when planned.
WFMT has backup licences, but they happen to be on Sears Tower...
No idea about the TV stations.
Cool stuff, as are all the history cards, of course. But not of much use for sussing out what they've been up to in the last 40 years since the cards ended.
Because of flooding at Willis Tower, WBBM 2, WTTW 11 and WYCC 20, Weigel stations 23 WCIU 26 and 48, WJYS 62 are all off the air. All but WJYS are on a direct backup feed on Comcast Xfinity. Locast is also down for those TV stations as well.
Here is one of many local coverage reports on the flooding:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/5...er-power-outage-flooding-weather-lower-wacker
You'd think the second-tallest building in America would have enough auxiliary power capacity to run the beacons at the top...
History in the general case and applied to WLS-FM:
You've no doubt heard that those who are ignorant of history are doomed to make the same mistakes. There was some stuff regarding WLS-FM auxiliaries of the past. The FCC used to allow stations to use a former licensed facility as an AUX, regardless of compliance with current rules regarding contour extensions, etc., and beyond the newly licensed service areas.
I've heard owners and managers swear up and down that things in the History Cards never happened. I often have to use obscure Billboard and other periodical and archive articles to prove people worked places they would rather forget. History is often valuable in unpredictable ways.
Did you known that the late great Glen Clark, who designed many fascinating AM DA arrays you have photographed, was once the Chief Engineer at WLS-FM and a Staff Engineer at WLS (AM), and invented Texar Audio Prisms? Did you know that Carl E. Smith of early AM DA design fame, and who founded the Cleveland Institute of Electronics, also inherited and owned the farmhouse for many years, used for the American Gothic Painting, and is now an Iowa tourist destination?
How many times has WLS-FM become WLS-FM? I seem to recall it as about six times.You need the Hx Card as well as current databases to track it. The answer is probably about the same number of times that Billy Martin managed the Yankees.
So sorry if I took a historical detour. I find history fascinating. Savor it before it goes down the "memory hole" of Orwell's 1984.
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Who can name all the other call letters that Chicago's 94.7 has had other than WLS-FM? I know I can't name them all.
WFMT cam on about 9:00 this morning.
Wait, wait, now I am really confused. WFMT just thanker their friends at WBEZ for use of a standby transmitter at Hancock Building. You can't just swing an FM TX over to another freq, and what about combiners and antenna elements that are custom made for a freq, right? Or has radio changed that much in fifty years since I worked in AM and FM? HA!
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